The month of June hosted two luncheons that both represent CSU’s outreach to the community through the Cleveland Municipal School District.

One held at the Wolstein Center for the Summer Teacher Institute coordinated by the Center for the Study of the Arts, the other in Columbus where the KnowledgeWorks
foundation welcomed the members of the “Bringing Our Neighborhood Together” project.

These two programs, though different in nature, set an example of the university becoming involved in the urban community.

However, the university could not achieve this alone.

The Center for the Study of the Arts teamed up with a number of organizations in Cleveland to make the Summer Teacher Institute possible.

The Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs partnered with the Western Reserve Historical Society and a research director from Cuyahoga Community College.

It takes combined effort to truly involve the community and make an effective program and these two divisions of the university have recognized this.

There is also a great importance in targeting students of urban schools. The KnowledgeWorks foundation Web site posted that “only seven in 10 Ohio (urban) high school
students graduate; only five in 10 enroll in college or other postsecondary institutions; and less than three in 10 complete a bachelor’s degree within 10 years.”

The “Bringing Our Neighborhood Together” project sparked an interest in students at East High School and some even made friends with the CSU student volunteers.

In addition, the local community became involved in the preservation of the neighborhood history.

The Summer Teacher Institute provides teachers in urban schools K-12 with the necessary tools to bring the arts into classrooms of all disciplines.

This gives students a chance to become involved in something, promoting continuing education.

These are the kinds of programs that CSU, as a university, must implement to successfully reach out to its community.